DIA among airports where most guns were confiscated in 2022

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- TSA officials announced Tuesday that a record number of guns were confiscated at airport checkpoints in 2022.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said they discovered 6,542 firearms over the course of the year, 570 more than were found in 2021. 88 percent of the confiscated guns were loaded at the time, the agency said.

Federal law prohibits passengers other than certain law enforcement officers from bringing guns or ammunition into the cabin of a plane. The law does allow passengers to put guns in checked bags that go into the cargo hold if they are unloaded and in a locked case. However, at certain times, airlines can and will ban guns from checked bags. Most U.S. airlines temporarily banned guns in checked bags on flights to Washington, D.C.-area airports for a week after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Below is a list of the top ten airports with the most guns seized in 2022. The three airports where the most firearms were confiscated in 2022 were the same in 2021.

1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) - 448
2. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) - 385
3. Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) - 298
4. Nashville International Airport (BNA) - 213
5. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)  - 196
6. Orlando International Airport (MCO) - 162
7. Denver International Airport (DEN) - 156
8. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) - 150
9. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) - 134
10. Tampa International Airport (TPA) - 131